Revolving doors: Clydes and Hunton & Williams make local hires while Squire Patton Boggs brings a team into its Paris office

Last week saw Clyde & Co expand its employment and personal injury practices with hires from DWF and Hill Dickinson, while Hunton & Williams grew its City energy and infrastructure practice. In Paris, Squire Patton Boggs expanded its international disputes practice with a double partner hire as well as a team of associates.

In the insurance space, Clyde & Co expanded its employment and personal injury team in Manchester. The firm recruited personal injury partner Jason Bleasdale from Hill Dickinson where he led the casualty litigation and disease claims team, in a bid to broaden the firm’s offering to personal injury clients. Bleasdale brings with him over 20 years’ experience in defending employer’s liability and disease claims, and is ranked as a leading individual in The Legal 500 for his expertise in industrial disease, professional disciplinary, and regulatory and environmental cases.

Bleasdale trained at Hill Dickinson, qualifying in 1993, becoming partner in 1998 and an equity member 2001. He said: ‘Disease is increasingly complex area of law so legal teams in this area and related fields need to have real depth and technical experience to meet clients’ needs.’

Clydes also hired Mark Hammerton, who joins from DWF, to develop its north-west practice and work closely with the firm’s City partners to advise large national and regional employers. Hammerton leaves DWF’s employment practice after nearly three years having previously been a partner at Eversheds. He specialises in TUPE, HR aspects of outsourcing/insourcing and M&A.

In London, Hunton & Williams has grown its energy and infrastructure practice with the hire of finance partner Stuart Hills from Fasken Martineau. Hills will focus on banking and finance, primarily project finance and acquisition finance, across Africa and Eastern Europe.

He has worked at Fasken Martineau for the past five years, before which he was partner at US firms Weil, Gotshal & Manges from 2008 to 2010, and O’Melveny & Myers from 2004 to 2008. Prior to this, he worked at Magic Circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for eleven years after qualifying in 1995. Hills has advised oil and gas, mining and metal, and publicly listed companies across issues covering acquisitions, developments, company sales and financing projects.

Hills joins fellow project finance partner Andrew Thomas – also from Fasken Martineau – who joined Hunton & Williams in October 2014. He said: ‘I am really pleased to join such a successful and well-respected team at Hunton & Williams. The energy and infrastructure sector in Africa and Eastern Europe is growing rapidly providing lots of opportunities.’

London energy partner, Ryan Ketchum, added: ‘As foreign-sourced private sector investments into Africa approach the $100bn per year mark, an ever-increasing number of companies are recognising the significance of the investment opportunities in these markets. Stuart’s extensive experience in debt and equity finance in West Africa and other emerging markets makes him a perfect fit for the team.’

Over in Paris, Squire Patton Boggs expanded its international disputes practice with a double partner hire. Partners Carole Sportes and Valérie Ravit join the firm along with three associates.

Litigator Sportes has particular expertise in insurance, product liability – particularly pharmaceuticals – and transport including aviation. She returns to Squire Patton Boggs’ Paris office where she was formerly an associate. Ravit has experience in insurance, re-insurance, industrial risks and environmental litigation. She also has advised in international arbitration, particularly in the field of re-insurance.

The arrival of Sportes and Ravit takes the total number of lawyers based in the Paris office to 40, 12 of which are partners. In the past year, Squire Patton Boggs has added 30 lawyers to its international disputes practice, following Ben Holland, who joined from Covington & Burling in October 2014.

Christopher Wilde, office managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs in Paris, said: ‘We are excited to see Carole return and to welcome Valérie and these highly-experienced associates to the firm. Their arrival significantly boosts our depth of resource and know-how from a dispute resolution perspective in Paris and also offers significant synergies across the firm globally, in key industry sectors such as insurance, pharmaceuticals and aviation.’